Budweiser using Winter Park roads for veteran's welcome home parade

January 7, 2014|By David Breen, Orlando Sentinel

A returning Army veteran is in for a surprise welcome home Wednesday in Winter Park.

The soldier, whose name is not being released to preserve the surprise, is coming home after being deployed in Afghanistan. He will be greeted with a downtown parade Wednesday afternoon, complete with patriotic bunting, marching bands and even the Budweiser Clydesdales.

The "A Hero's Welcome" parade kicks off at 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park and ends at the Winter Park Community Center on New England Avenue, according to the city.

A production crew of several dozen people is filming the parade for Budweiser and has been busy decking out the route in recent days, leading to speculation that the resulting video may be in the brewer's upcoming Super Bowl commercial. The iconic Clydesdale team and beer wagon have been a fixture in the ads for decades.

Budweiser representatives declined to reveal when, or in what context, the video might turn up.

Mayor Kenneth Bradley was interviewed by the production crew, and will take part in the parade, as will city commissioners and the city's fire and police departments.

"They've told me this should appear before a global audience," Bradley said. He said he focused on the city's commitment to its veterans.

"The Department of Defense has recognized this one individual as a representative of all those that are coming home," he said.

Attendees are asked to wear red, white and blue and to bring handmade signs. New England Avenue will be closed from Denning Drive to New York Avenue from noon to 5 p.m. for the parade, but businesses along the route will remain open.

Bradley expects the parade and resulting video to be "very emotional."